LOLA GOT HER GAMEDAY OUTFIT!!!

Thanks to Aunt Caitlin and Uncle Chris, Lola is now officially ready for Notre Dame Football Season! Patrick and Ashley have started breaking in her game-day outfit and not only does she not mind her scarf... She LOVES it!

Nothing New and Exciting today.....

After our big exciting weekend. Nothing new to really report. Lola is getting incredibly good at her Sit... Stay... Come... commands, and we are ringing the bell to go out just about every hour. Although Patrick and Ashley keep thinking she is just looking for an excuse to go outside and play, Lola keeps surprising them by going to the bathroom just a little bit each time.... She may be rationing her urine to justify going outside...

Random Lola picture of the day!

10 WEEKS OLD! FIRST TRIP TO THE BEACH.... FIRST SWIM... LOTS OF HOLES TO DIG!

As of yesterday Lola is 10 weeks old and 15.5 lbs. After a great trip to the beach in St. Petersburg, we have lots to share!!!
The drive was a bit long, so Lola decided to occupy herself in the backseat with puppy naps and bone chewing...










First thing we did when we arrived was go to the beach! Lola has seen some sand, so she was all excited about the possibility of digging some really big holes.
Lola immediately decided she needed to see if the sand by the ocean tasted and smelled as good as the sand in Gainesville, so she buried her face, and then took a moment to enjoy the view and plan her water attack...


Lola likes to split her time between digging holes and going for quick dips in the water. Lola decided to demonstrate her best ostrich impression ...

Lola would return from the water every so often to air dry, and give the waves a chance to catch their breath...



All water dogs no matter how big and strong eventually need to take a break from the heat.... That sun can really wear you out...

We found out that the reason Lola was immediately drawn to the beach and the water was due to the fact that she may be the only boxer in town with webbed feet!

Lola worked up quite the appetite at the beach, and thought she would demonstrate just how far she was willing to stick her head into a bowl to get the last bit of food.
 
Day 2 of our trip was marked by a major milestone.... LOLA'S FIRST SWIM!
Even though she went in the water the day before, it wasn't until this day that she decided to go out on her own and put those webbed feet to work. We only wish we had known so we could have gotten in the water and taken her off the leash!!!



 

Lola was trying to swim out to see Patrick to see if he had caught any fish.... She was disappointed when she first got there...

But that didn't last long, and before she knew it, Patrick caught a catfish that Lola really really wanted to meet!
 

Another milestone today was Lola finally figuring out how to ask to go outside... It only took her a few days, but now we are ustoppable!
 



And for the first time finally caught that cute nub of hers wagging out of control as it always does when she gets excited...

And one last thing... in case you were interested in seeing Lola's crossbite, we were able to catch it while she was sleeping!!!

Day 11... Home sick with Kennel Cough

Poor Lola was home sick today with Kennel Cough. She is happily taking her medicine, and despite her nagging cough, she is still the same old puppy and insisted that we still play and work on obedience today!



We went and played in the field...







We worked on sit, stay, and fetch in the house...




And then when Patrick told Lola it was time to go home, she responded by sticking her tongue out at him!

Of course, there is always time for a little nap with Patrick and Ashley at the end of the day!

And of course, some random pics...

Due to the fact that we will be taking Lola to the beach for her first ocean experience, there will be no blog postings until Sunday night...

Day 10

Lola has been great lately. Her "sit... stay... come" routine is really starting to come together. She is very good about letting us know if she wants to go outside, and Patrick and Ashley are now sleeping all the way through the night without hearing any crying/whimpering/etc. Lola is becoming quite the couch potato/youtuber lately. She loves to quietly sit watching dogs/people/babies, you name it!

 

Day 9... More Sleeping.... New Collar!

Lola has been making small gains here and there with her training... nothing too out of the ordinary.... Naps here, walks there...

In bigger news, Grandma Holmes has sent Lola a brand new stylish collar! Lola is happy to report that she loves it, and it has not impeded her ability to take a nap in any way!!!

Day 8.... Frogs and Playtime

Lola has now discovered her new favorite playmate... THE FROG! Although they don't want much to do with her, and although she has yet to touch one, she likes to make quite a fuss when she sees them and does quite the little dance to say hello. Although we were not able to catch the entire event, here's a preview!





Lola has also claimed a 'home base' in the carpeted territory of the condo... Ladies and Gentlemen... the Queen, and her castle...

And as Queen of the Castle, Lola is entitled to whatever toy she would like, no matter how big it is, and now matter how hard it is for her to carry in her mouth!

 As all good days in the Holmes residence ends, the Queen tuckers out early, and spends the remainder of her evening napping and cuddling.

Day 8! Discovering TV, how to walk down stairs, and the start of Obedience Training

Last Night/Today was a very big time in Lola's development. She has overcome her fear of stairs and has finally learned how to go down them all by herself! After learning that sitting by the door would result in Patrick and Ashley letting her go outside to go to the bathroom try more stairs, Lola has made many many trips to the door!

The other new development in Lola's life is the discovery of TV! Lola is finding herself consumed by Lifetime Original Movies and can't quite tear herself away from the TV when they are on! (SEE BELOW)

Today also marks the day that Lola tried on her first piece of clothing. Although all subsequent outfits will be holiday themed or in the spirit of football season, we just couldn't resist the opportunity!

Day 7.... 9 WEEKS OLD!

Lola turns 9 weeks old today and has officially weighed in at 15 lbs!
She has gained 1.5 lbs in just 1 week!!!

Despite her young age, Lola is turning into a very well-behaved dog. She is great at walking on her leash, will sit on command most of the time, and is sleeping through the night more and more without incident or accident!

Even with this good progress, we still find ourselves having to discipline her and are then immediately given the "I'M SORRY" look...

 

Perhaps the biggest improvement so far is the ability to bring Lola out onto the carpet. Not only does she appreciate the soft comfortable carpet, but Patrick and Ashley are really enjoying being able to sit on the couch again, and are starting to get feeling back in their butts after a week of kitchen sitting...

 

Day 6 First Day of UF tailgating!

Today UF played Tennessee, and Notre Dame played Michigan State. In the spirit of things, Lola decided that today she would try tailgaiting....

Okay, so she may not LOOK excited, but trust me, she was!

 

I know that at this point it appears as though Lola was carried through all of tailgating, but these were just the moments when she was so tired that we were able to take a quick picture. Lola said hello to EVERYBODY today as did Ashley... The two of them were so tired that when we got home today, it was time for a dual nap...

Day 5

Today was a big day in Lola's adjustment to her new home. Today was the day that she voluntarily took a nap in her crate all by herself without us even having to ask her...

Lola also seems to be an inherently good hunter, and for some reason Patrick appears to be the target when we are playing...




We were also able to catch Lola in one of her more characteristic sleeping acts... the roll-over, switch to her back, roll over again, and hiccup...
 



On our trip to the field next door, we were able to catch Lola's newest talent, digging holes...





And as always, here are the latest pics of our photogenic pup...